Can Your Data Center Facility Cope with Fire Disasters?

Maintaining the data center infrastructure with no downtime is vital for businesses continuity. Another factor that is as important as avoiding downtime is to plan for and handle disasters in the data center facility, including unexpected fire breakouts.

Fire disasters are common in any place where there is heavy electrical machinery. So, in the event of a fire breakout, how safe is your data center? Answer the following questions:

• If fire occurs, can your facility employees escape quickly from the premises without getting hurt? Are your employees trained on the best course of action in the event of a fire?
• Does your facility have a fire suppression system that is effective and does not cause any environmental problems? For instance, Halon-based fire extinguishers were banned a couple of years ago for their role in depleting the ozone layer. Do you check your equipment periodically to ensure it is in working condition?
• Is your data center properly backed up so that in the event of shut down of the primary facility due to fire, your business or businesses relying on your data center does not face any downtime? Again, are your employees trained to follow the procedures to ensure data protection during an emergency?
• Does your data center facility ensure adherence to strict building and construction norms for fire safety? Does it have proper cooling infrastructure to prevent fire due to overheating of continuously running heavy machinery inside the facility?

If the answer to all of the above questions are positive, then your data center will be capable of withstanding unexpected fire disasters. But as always, it is wise to ensure that no component that could possibly start a fire is left unattended in your facility. As always, prevention is better than cure.

Partnering with the right data center facilities provider gives you the peace of mind as you outsource the responsibilities of risk management while providing yourself the latest and most efficient solutions for your most important computer systems. At Lifeline Data Centers, our engineers guarantee you the highest uptime, disasters or not. Visit our website to know more.

Alex Carroll

Managing Member at Lifeline Data Centers

Alex, co-owner, is responsible for all real estate, construction and mission critical facilities: hardened buildings, power systems, cooling systems, fire suppression, and environmentals. Alex also manages relationships with the telecommunications providers and has an extensive background in IT infrastructure support, database administration and software design and development. Alex architected Lifeline’s proprietary GRCA system and is hands-on every day in the data center.